1. Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile machine, and a scanner, and more particularly, to the structure of the frame of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus body.
2. Related Art
An image forming apparatus generally includes a frame for reinforcement, for example, a side-plate-frame type and a resin-made integration type. In an image forming apparatus with the side-plate-frame type, image forming components and conveyance components are supported by two side plates spaced a certain distance apart and connected by a member for reinforcement, with legs disposed on the bottom thereof, arranged in a known arrangement.
In such a frame, side plates, posts, and stays are arranged in locations according to convenience of an internal layout of the image forming apparatus, although the side plates, the posts, and the stays need to reinforce the image forming apparatus. Such an arrangement is designed without checking whether the arrangement contributes to the strength of the image forming apparatus. Consequently, such an arrangement may make the frame heavier due to shape of a component and an unnecessary member that contribute little or nothing to strengthen the body, which is the basic function of the frame.